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Toronto's strength is key to U of T's success

Prof. Meric Gertler, installed this week as the 16th president of the University of Toronto, says the university must play a role as city-builder.

Professor Meric Gertler was installed this week as the 16th president of the University of Toronto. (CARLOS OSORIO / TORONTO STAR) | Order this photo

Fri., Nov. 8, 2013

The following is an excerpt from a speech this week by Meric Gertler as he was installed as the 16th president of the University of Toronto:

It is our great good fortune to be situated in the world’s most open, cosmopolitan and globalized city-region. Indeed, U of T would not be the success it is today were it not situated in one of the world’s great cities. If we are to achieve our full potential in the future, we must leverage our location within this urban region of 6 million-plus people more fully.

Universities are fundamentally in the talent business. We develop talent by providing education of the highest quality – to our 80,000 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degree programs, and to tens of thousands more who take advantage of our continuing studies and professional education courses.

But we are also in the business of attracting and retaining highly educated and accomplished faculty and staff. Our region’s diversity, as well as the strength of our public school system and the safety of our streets, are huge assets for us when it comes to recruiting highly educated people. Such qualities also make it less likely these gifted people will leave once they’ve settled here.

The social and cultural diversity of this region is, of course, striking… Some 50 per cent of those living in the Toronto region were born outside of Canada – an astonishingly high proportion unequalled anywhere else in the world. Our diversity is also defined in terms of faith communities, sexual identity, our vibrant arts, culture, and food scenes, our economic base, and our distinctive neighbourhoods and communities.

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Looking to the future, we must explore new and imaginative ways to take advantage of our location in the Toronto region and to deepen our relationships with our local partners – public, private, and non-profit. This is clearly a case of enlightened self-interest. By working more closely with these groups to meet challenges and seize opportunities together, we will make this region a better place in which to live, work and prosper.

We need to acknowledge and embrace our role as a city-builder… We must work closely and effectively with our neighbourhood and civic partners to ensure that our physical development plans not only help us achieve our academic mission but also address the needs and aspirations of our many good neighbours.

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